Weekend Open Post | July 12th – 14th
Posted on: July 12, 2024
Getting Up to Speed | ’25 LB Christian Jones
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 8, 2024
The Sooners officially hosted ’25 linebacker Christian Jones (6’2 220) out of Omaha, Nebraska back on June 21st for the big recruiting event that OU hosted.
Heading into the visit, I paid little attention to Jones as multiple sources had told me that they believed he was almost certain to land at Nebraska at the end of the day as Matt Rhule and Tony White had made him a priority.
Since that visit, he has become a hot topic among Sooner fans as different places have started to talk about OU and Jones being a legitimate possibility. So I did some digging over the past few days and here is what I came up with.
***Source tells me that OU, Venables, and Alley in particular, made a big impression on Jones and his family during the official visit (as you would expect).
***Was told that the vision and plan that the defensive coaches laid out for him hit home and the potential to play for a staff with such deep roots at linebacker really came into focus.
***Source said that Jones and his family appeared to really enjoy the atmosphere in Norman as the passion and family vibe are very similar to the feeling around the Husker campus and when you add in Oklahoma being the much more relevant program over the last 20 years, that could help tip the scales in their direction in a heads up battle with Nebraska.
***However, this would not be simply a heads-up battle with Nebraska as there are other schools pushing (Auburn and USC among them) and there is a possibility that Jones takes his recruitment into the fall as new suitors emerge with Miami being a potential game day official visit.
***To this point, there has been no timeline established for Jones to commit to the school of his choosing and he has not silently committed or given the nod to any school at this time that he intends on choosing them.
*** A different source has also told me that a decision could come in August although that was more speculation than anything else. Personally, an August decision would be a bit odd as there will be no more visits between now and then and unless he is just done with the process (which could very well be the case) it doesn’t make sense to shut things down if there is even the possibility that he wants to take an additional visit or two.
***Bottom line for me, it sounds like OU did give Jones and his crew a lot to think about and they have firmly inserted themselves into the picture. I cannot sit here today and trend him in any direction, but that is actually a good thing for OU as I had previously had him firmly trending to Nebraska. OU is in this one, and Venables and Alley will continue to try to pull him to Norman to close out the linebacker class for ’25.
Film Don’t Lie | Omarion Robinson
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 8, 2024
The Sooners picked up a big time addition to the ’25 class this weekend as safety Omarion Robinson (6’0 170) out of Little Rock, Arkansas announced his verbal pledge to the Sooners.
You all know he was a top priority for Brandon Hall and Brent Venables and a quick look at his film shows you why.
I also am writing this post and presenting you all with a quick breakdown of Robinson in part because it is just another example of my belief that rankings and ratings really are overrated and incomplete and way too much stock is put into the clickity click business.
Simply put, I have not seen five better safeties in this class than Robinson…yet he is ranked as a 3* on some sites and not even in the top couple hundred players.
The film starts with him in the return game. You can see his speed, vision, agility, acceleration and football instincts on full display. The kid is a menace with the ball in his hands.
Then you get to see some offense and defense on the film and you can see he processes things so much faster than the majority of the players on the field which allows his physical skills to take over and dominate. His closing rate while on defense is something that makes you lean forward in your chair immediately.
Robinson diagnoses plays very well and he isn’t afraid to come downhill and hit you, he actually seems to crave the opportunity to smack someone. He also has the ability to turn and run with his man in coverage as his hips are very loose and he is just super smooth. The combination of his physical play coupled with his elite athleticism is not something that is commonly found. On top of all that, he looks as though he plays with solid technique when tackling. Granted, this is a highlight reel, but you can see he has the ability to be very technically sound.
I don’t know how or why he is rated where he is, but I can flatly say I do not agree with it.
Some may reach and question his size, but I don’t care if he is 5’11 or 6’1…the kid is a baller with elite athleticism and ball skills who loves to hit people. I think he fits in very well with what Venables and Hall want to do on defense and in my opinion, he has a chance to come in and compete immediately for time in the rotation once he gets on campus.
Bottom line: You all know I am not a sunshine pumper or rah rah guy when it comes to OU commits or recruits…but in this case, the ranking services have badly missed, in my opinion, and I felt it was worth noting that I really think OU got a kid with a very high ceiling who has been vastly underrated.
Michael Fasusi | The Latest
– Super K – Posted on: July 9, 2024
Spoke with a source regarding Sooners OT target, Michael Fasusi. Sooners are still licking their wounds for the loss of Lamont Rogers – and for good reason, he’s good!
But right now, the Sooners are in pretty good position for Fasusi.
Was essentially told there are two fronts where the Sooners have an edge on the competition (which is mostly Texas).
First, the appeal of Bedenbaugh as a developer.
Secondly, I am told the parents are conservative and much prefer Norman and the lifestyle at OU vs some of the bigger city campuses.
Fasusi noted that he has some “Big news on Friday.” He’s currently scheduled to announce in August. So, I would imagine this will be him cutting the list again.
A little too early to trend this one but if I were, right now, I’d give the Sooners a slight edge over the field.
Update to Class Grade | Safety Room
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 9, 2024
Last week I posted my grades for the Sooners ’25 class to this point of the cycle.
You can find that full write up HERE.
As the cycle progress, whenever OU adds one of their remaining targets to the class via verbal commitment, I will go back and update the specific rooms grade.
With the addition of safety Omarion Robonson to the fold, it is time to update the grade for the safety room.
In the original write up I wrote:
“S: 1.5 commits: Marcus Wimberly, Maliek Hawkins (DB could play both CB and S) – Grade on July 3rd – C plus – Class incomplete
The Sooners will find out their fate with priority target Omarion Robinson on July 6th so this grade could change pretty soon. Should OU land Robinson, I would give the class a grade of B plus or maybe A minus. Obviously, if Jonah Williams were to choose OU down the line, this grade would jump to A or A plus, but I don’t see that happening at this time.”
***With the class now being completed by the addition of Robinson (unless there is a major surprise), and following my in-depth look at his body of work (Which can be found HERE) and what he potentially brings to the table for the Sooners, I’m going to give Brandon Halls room a grade of…”A“.
It is pretty simple…I believe Omarion Robinson is one of the top safeties in the class and as a bonus, OU picks up a potentially elite weapon in the return game.
A combination of Robinson and Wimberly (who I believe is also underrated) gives Brandon Hall one guy (Robinson) who I think will fight for reps immediately along with another guy (Wimberly) who may not be far behind him in that same regard. Throw in Maliek Hawkins potentially turning into a safety down the line, well you have a complete and impactful class for Oklahoma at safety.
S: 2.5 commits: Omarion Robinson, Marcus Wimberly, Maliek Hawkins (DB could play both CB and S) – Grade on July 9th – A – Class complete
The Latest | ’25 DL Floyd Boucard
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 10, 2024
Sooners defensive tackle target Floyd Boucard is planning on announcing his decision on July 20th.
Boucard took multiple official visits this spring, including one to OU, and this is how we believe things stand 10 days ahead of his announcement:
***There was a lot of buzz around Boucard and USC following his visit out west. Sources out that way indicate that Boucard did give a silent commit to Riley and company at that time, but as you all know very well, silent commits and Lincoln Riley mean very little. So little at this point that a source out west tells me “USC is just hoping they can land him”.
***We believe it is actually a three-team race at this time, and USC is not one of the three teams we are hearing the most about.
***Oklahoma has been at or near the top of his recruitment for quite some time and Todd Bates has been relentless in his recruitment. The Sooners have not budged in regard to making any new offers at DT this spring/summer and they actually passed on taking the commitment from Makhi Williams-Lee.
***Miami is a team that cannot be discounted as they have current geography on their side. While Boucard is from Canada, he is currently living in South Florida and the Hurricanes have him as a priority and they have the advantage of being able to get him on campus frequently along with a deep and loose NIL program. Miami also has passed on some DL targets recently, so they could be liking their chances with Boucard as well.
***Alabama is a sleeper here as there is not a lot of national buzz around them and Boucard, but our sources down in Tuscaloosa continue to indicate Boucard is a priority for them and source added that Bama is “desperate” for interior defenders in this class.
***I like OU’s position here, but this is a recruitment that is about to get really aggressive in the closing days, so you never know what is going to happen.
***Miami is going to play fast and loose, Bama is going to put on the press, and Oklahoma is going to do whatever they can to push their advantage here. This is another one where if all things are equal, I could easily see it going OU’s way.
***I’m not going to trend this one at this time, but we should be able to get some clarity here in the coming days.
